A woman returns to her estranged, magical family in Appalachia, where a conjuring meant to protect the community may have summoned something sinister in this lush, shimmering, and wildly imaginative debut novel, perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Deborah Harkness, and Sarah Addison Allen.
Lee left Craw Valley at eighteen without a backward glance. She wanted no part of the generations of her family who tapped into the power of the land to heal and help their community. But when she abandons her new life in California and has nowhere else to go, Lee returns to Craw Valley with her children in tow to live with her grandmother, Belva.
Lee vows to stay far away from Belva’s world of magic, but when the target of one of her grandmother’s spells is discovered dead, Lee fears that Belva’s magic may have conjured something far more sinister.
As she and her family search for answers, Lee travels down a rabbit hole of strange phenomena and family secrets that force her to reckon with herself and rediscover her power in order to protect her family and the town she couldn’t leave behind.
My thoughts: I enjoyed the book. One of the things I liked about it is that the story was told from more than one perspective. Some chapters were from Lee's point of view and others from her daughter Meredith's or another character. It was easy to follow the transitions since each chapter was labelled clearly. I also liked that it was four generations that were involved in the story.
All of the characters were very human. They had their flaws and their strengths. Most of them had a strong family connection as well as a connection with the land. There were traditions for passing on the knowledge of the magic too.
Plot wise, I thought the story moved along at a good pace. I read it pretty fast because I wanted to know what would happen next. There was a twist towards the end of the book that surprised me, but worked pretty well.
Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. It's well written, but has minor faults just as the characters do. I don't want to go into detail because it would create spoilers. The book is definitely worth a read. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy witchy stories and magical realism. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions.
Strange Folk by Alli Dyer was released August 6, 2024 from Atria Books.
